******* Today in Black History – October 4, 2016 *******
1988 – The Martin L. King, Jr. Federal Building is dedicated in Atlanta, Ga
The Martin L. King, Jr. Federal Building also known as the King Federal Building is dedicated in Atlanta, Ga. It is the first federal building in the nation to bear the name of the slain civil rights leader.
This building was designed and constructed to accommodate the rapidly expanding volume of the Postal Service, which was then oriented around a single, central processing facility. The Martin Luther King, Jr. Federal Building and its features were “state of the art”, and reflected the growth of Federal institutions in America. Furthermore, its various links with the Terminal Station, formerly located across Spring Street, reveal the Post Office’s reliance on the railroads prior to the rise of Airmail service and long range truck oriented mail routing.
1937 – Lee Patrick Brown is born in Wewoka, Oklahoma.
He will become one of the top-ranking law-enforcement executives in the United States, first as Public Safety Commissioner in Atlanta, Georgia, the second African-American Police Commissioner for New York City, and the first African-American Mayor of Houston. He will be reelected twice to serve the maximum of three terms from 1998 to 2004.
1943 – Hubert Gerold Brown is born in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
He will be better known as H. Rap Brown, become a Black nationalist and chairman of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee in the 1960s, and later the Justice Minister of the Black Panther Party. He will be most famous for his proclamation during that period that “violence is as American as cherry pie”, as well as once stating that “If America don’t come around, we’re gonna burn it down”. He is also known for his autobiography “Die Nigger Die!”. He will spend five years (1971-1976) in New York’s Attica Prison after a robbery conviction. While in prison, he will convert to Islam and change his name to Jamil Abdullah al-Amin. After his release, he will open a grocery store in Atlanta, Georgia and become a Muslim spiritual leader and community activist, preaching against drugs and gambling in Atlanta’s West End neighborhood. He will be sentenced to life in prison, without the possibility of parole, for the 2000 shooting of two Fulton County Sheriff’s deputies, one of whom joins the ancestors.
1944 – Patricia Holt is born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
She will become a singer known as Patti LaBelle and will be a lead with the Ordettes, the Bluebells, and LaBelle. She will eventually debut a solo career performing over 90 concerts a year. She will publish her life story, “Don’t Block The Blessings: Revelations of a Lifetime.”
1971 – Elgin Baylor announces his retirement from the Los Angeles Lakers.
Elgin Baylor announces his retirement from the Los Angeles Lakers. After 14 years in the NBA, Baylor had scored 23,149 points, the third highest in the league, and was the fifth highest career rebounder.
1935 – Joe Walcott, World Welterweight Boxing Champion during the early 1900’s, joins the ancestors after being struck and killed by a car. He is perhaps the only West Indian (from Barbados), universally recognized as a boxing legend. Walcott stood at five feet, one and a half inches, his fighting weight at 142 pounds, basically a midget version of Mike Tyson. His short powerful physique enabled him to bob and weave, catching his opponent’s punches on his powerful shoulders and his granite-like head.
1864 – New Orleans Tribune, first Black daily newspaper founded
New Orleans Tribune, first Black daily newspaper, founded by Dr. Louis C. Roudanez. The newspaper, published in both English and French, started as a tri-weekly but soon became an influential daily.
1991 – The Harold Washington Library in Chicago, Illinois is dedicated in the memory of its beloved former mayor.
Located in the South Loop, Harold Washington Library Center is CPL’s main library. Washington (1922-1987), was the city of Chicago’s first African-American mayor.
1945 – Clifton Davis is born in Chicago, Illinois.
He will become an actor and singer, performing in “That’s My Mama,” and “Amen” on television. He will also become a minister in the Seventh Day Adventist Church.
1969 – Howard N. Lee and Charles Evers are elected the first African American mayors of Chapel Hill, N.C. and Fayette, Miss., respectively.
Howard N. Lee would become the first African American elected mayor of a predominantly white southern city
1996 – Congress passes a bill authorizing the creation of 500,000 Black Revolutionary War Patriots Commemorative coins.
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AJ Woodson
AJ Woodson is the Editor-In-Chief of Black Westchester and Co-Owner of Urban Soul Media Group, the parent company, Host & Producer of the People Before Politics Radio Show. AJ is a Father, Brother, An Author, Journalism Fellow (Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism), Hip-Hop Artist - one third of the legendary underground rap group JVC FORCE known for the single Strong Island, Radio Personality, Hip-Hop Historian, Documentarian, Activist, Criminal Justice Advocate and Freelance Journalist whose byline has appeared in several print publications and online sites including The Source, Vibe, the Village Voice, Upscale, Sonicnet.com, Launch.com, Rolling Out Newspaper, Daily Challenge Newspaper, Spiritual Minded Magazine, Word Up! Magazine, On The Go Magazine and several others.
